Canadians Prepare to Go Back to the Polls…

Four federal elections in seven years. That’s what we’re looking at as we go back to the polls on May 2nd. I’ve never been one to say that we should have fixed elections like the Americans do, but there’s something about going to the polls every 2.5 years, with little change at the end of the day, that is getting somewhat… annoying. I’m not sure that fixed election dates is necessarilly the answer. Our system is totally different than our cousins to the south, and I don’t think that’s a bad thing. But certainly the status quo has its drawbacks.

But as long as we live in a free country, I will continue to vote, no matter how annoying the frequency becomes!

My gut tells me that things aren’t going to change much after this election. I’m no fan of the Conservatives (especially under Stephen Harper), but I just don’t see much of a challenge from the other parties. I have serious doubts whether Michael Ignatieff’s Liberals will make any headway in this election. It’s common knowledge that I’m a Liberal at heart, but Ignatieff does not instill me with a ton of confidence. There’s just something about him. It’s hard for me to pinpoint. There’s no denying that the man is intelligent. I’m just not sure that he connects with the average Canadian. I have friends who disagree with me… they think that the Liberals will take it this time. I hope that they’re right, even if I don’t believe they are.

Maybe it’s because I now live in a very rural area, but I have yet to have a single candidate (to my knowledge) come to the door. I assume that they would leave something stuck in the door, in the way that others like to remind me that Jesus loves me, despite all my many failings. I get more than enough of those things. They must know something I don’t.

There are still a few weeks before the election, so I suppose that they still have plenty of time to come visit me. I really hope not to see any Conservatives at my door. I’m quite disgusted with the negative attack ads I see on TV. I don’t think they realize that these ads can actually turn voters against them. We talk about that at work. I’m far from the only one. “Tell me what you are going to do for me… not attack someone else because they were out of the country working for a few years.” I hope those ads backfire miserably for the Conservatives. But.